Palestinians want Jerusalem cut from Eurovision videos

Eurovision will take place from Tuesday to Saturday in Tel Aviv, picked to host the event after Israeli singer Netta Barzilai won last year’s contest. (Reuters)

RAMALLAH: The Palestinian Authority called Saturday for Jerusalem to be cut from videos promoting Eurovision, accusing Israel of “propaganda” ahead of Tel Aviv hosting the song contest.
Israel’s public broadcaster KAN aired a clip Friday aimed at tourists traveling to the country for Eurovision, which features a shot of east Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound.
It also refers to Jerusalem as “our beloved capital,” despite Palestinians claiming the eastern sector as the capital of their future state.
East Jerusalem was occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed.
The PA’s foreign ministry said Israel was using the song competition to “entrench its colonial occupation by effectively normalizing the global acceptance of its unlawful conduct.”
“The promotional material published in the context of the Eurovision contest and approved by EBU, is unacceptable,” the ministry said, in reference to the European Broadcasting Union.
Writing on Facebook, the ministry said it had contacted the EBU about what it termed Israeli “propaganda material” which “wipes... the State of Palestine from the map.”
KAN’s promotional video was also criticized by some Israelis for its portrayal of stereotypes, prompting the broadcaster to issue a statement stressing its take was satirical.
Eurovision will take place from Tuesday to Saturday in Tel Aviv, picked to host the event after Israeli singer Netta Barzilai won last year’s contest.
Efforts by activists calling for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) of Israel over its occupation of Palestinian territories have failed to move the competition.